The Quarry Trail.

We've has some dry weather for a couple of days so having a spare afternoon we decided to do one of my favourite limestone rides. Its only a short ride, 11.5k, but does feature a couple of tough climbs. The ride is featured in the 'White Peak Mountain Biking' book and gets its name because it passes a couple of quarry workings. The terrain is quite varied, loose quarry roads, singletrack, grassy field edges and byways.
Parking up in Stoney Middleton we rode flat tarmac to Calver, then uphill on road to the first off-road section, a punishing steep climb which always sees me walking when on the singlespeed (which I was today). Dani being super fit spun her Genesis up without stopping, not bad considering she competed in an off-road duathlon yesterday.

Dani on the first climb out of Calver.

The top of the climb brought us out onto a restricted byway, funny how 4x4s are banned but quarry vehicles can use it..., and flatter ground;

Enjoying the flat.

This took us alongside quarry workings;

High Rake, a big hole in Derbyshire.

Looks like a good place to play...

Past the quarry on a wide, loose track, we picked up a bridlepath, first field edge, then through a gate to singletrack, then field edge again, which took uo to the second steep climb. I almost made it up without stopping (Dani didn't stop) but stalled it hitting a rock whilst changing lines. The rest of the bridlepath was made up off broken tarmac and lead up through another quarry down to the A623. Crossing the road we climbed up to Eyam then picked up a byway which took us back into Stoney and the Landy.

Singletrack, we like that!

The ride took us 1 hour 14 minutes, which is pretty good.
I've changed the front tyre on the Mojito, replacing the 2.2" Kenda Karma with a 2.3" Bontrager 29-4. There's nothing wrong with the Kenda, its a good tyre and I'll carry on using one on the back, but I want a bit more air, and therefore a bit more suspension, on the front.

Paul.